Manipur police commandos on Wednesday staged an “arms down” protest against Tuesday’s attack on the East Imphal residence of a senior police officer who was subsequently overpowered and kidnapped.

The police commando unit in Imphal West district held a meeting in the morning and resolved to stage the protest. Soon its personnel laid down their rifles in a straight line on a bench. By afternoon, commando units in the other five valley districts also staged the symbolic protest.

“The protest was against the attack on the additional superintendent of police’s (ASP) residence and his kidnapping. The commandos are also unhappy because the higher-ups did not allow them to retaliate in the manner they should have. They (commandos) have decided to continue their protest till they get an appropriate response from the authorities,” a resident familiar with the development said.

By evening, a team of Manipur Police Service (MPS) officers met chief minister N. Biren Singh and other key government functionaries over the attack. The meeting’s outcome is not yet known but the chain of developments reflected the concern and resentment within the police force amid the ongoing conflict between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities.

There was no official statement on the protest till Wednesday evening.

This is the second incident in Imphal where influential people have been targeted since January. The Arambai Tenggol, a radical Meitei group, had on January 14 summoned 37 Meitei MLAs and two MPs to Kangla Fort to take an oath to protect Manipur’s integrity in the face of sustained demand by Kuki-Zo organisations for a separate administration.

In that meeting, an Opposition Congress MLA (the MPCC president) and two ruling BJP MLAs were assaulted, a development flagged by the state’s 10 Kuki-Zo MLAs in a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Before the Kuki-Zo MLAs, Congress leaders had drawn attention to the assault on its MLA at Kangla Fort but had not named any organisation.

Police statement

According to Manipur police, “armed miscreants numbering 200” coming in vehicles stormed” the residence of ASP Moirangthem Amit Singh (MPS) at Wangkhei Tokpam Leikai under Porompat police station in Imphal East on Tuesday evening.

“The armed miscreants vandalised the household properties. On getting information, additional security forces rushed to the spot. In the resulting police action, two individuals... sustained injuries on their persons and were admitted to JNIMS Hospital, Porompat.”

“In the midst of the incident, the Addl SP and one of his escorts were abducted by the armed miscreants. They were later rescued from Kwakeithel Konjeng Leikai area and admitted to Raj Medicity for medical treatment. A case has been registered
in this regard and investigation has started,” the police posted on X on Wednesday morning.